Waray children are “unconsciously shifting from their mother language to English and/or Tagalog in their vocabulary use”. English vocabularies are more familiar to Waray educands of today than are the indigenous Waray terms, for instance, for geometrical figures, colors, numbers, etc.

Still, “it is an ongoing debate of what type of language should be used in the implementation of MTBMLE.” Should educators use a Waray that borrows heavily from English and other languages or a Waray that uses exclusively its own indigenous terms and concepts?

The researchers formulate a single lesson plan using an inductive method incorporating the Montessori Approach. Using Waray as the medium of instruction, the lesson is taught to two groups equivalent in number and composition: Group A (the experimental group) uses indigenous terms in the teaching of geometrical figures, and Group B (the control group) uses borrowed English terms in the teaching of geometrical figures. We have two types of pupils at LNU-ILS: Waray pupils whose language at home is Waray, and Waray pupils who are exposed to English at home.

With this set up, the researchers tried to see if there are significant differences in achievement scores between the following: (1) Waray pupils versus English pupils within Group A; (2) Waray pupils versus English pupils within Group B; (3) Waray pupils from group A versus Waray pupils from Group B; (4) English pupils from Group A versus English pupils from Group B; (5) English pupils from group A versus Waray pupils from Group B; (6) Waray pupils from Group A versus English pupils from Group B; and (7) Group A versus Group B. T-test for independent samples is utilized as a statistical tool in the analysis of the achievement scores (post-test minus pretest).

MTB-MLE Assessment Guide

By Haley de Korne, Bonna D. Duron & Amy Jo Dowd

Assessment can be a powerful tool, with substantial impact on the way an education initiative is viewed by participants and outsiders alike. As Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE or MLE) programs are piloted and promoted in various contexts around the world, it is important to plan carefully for the assessment practices that will best meet the goals and needs of the programs. The results of an assessment are not the only thing that is impactful; the practice of developing and administrating assessments also constitutes part of the overall MTB-MLE initiative and may have consequences on the outcomes of the program.